1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording/reproducing apparatus using a cartridge such as MD (minidisk) or MO (magneto-optic disk), particularly to a cartridge transporting apparatus for transporting a cartridge between a prescribed input/output position and a recording/reproducing position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Previously known is a cartridge having a structure in which a recording/reproducing medium such as a MD, MO, etc. is housed in a cartridge case. A conventional recording/reproducing apparatus using such a cartridge is disclosed in JP-A-8-315481.
In the conventional recording/reproducing apparatus, when a cartridge is inserted into an inlet provided at an input/output position by a user, a cartridge transporting mechanism automatically starts a loading operation so that the cartridge being held in a cartridge holder is horizontally transported to a prescribed position in a recording/reproducing apparatus. Thereafter, the cartridge and cartridge holder which are integrally held descend into a prescribed recording/reproducing position so that the cartridge is clamped at a prescribed recording/reproducing position.
In the cartridge transporting mechanism attached to the conventional recording/reproducing apparatus, the cartridge is horizontally transported to the above prescribed position by rotating a roller by a driving motor while it is in contact with the side wall or edge of the cartridge inserted from the insertion opening.
In this case, since a contact area between the roller and the side wall of the cartridge is small, the contact face of the roller wears and becomes liable to slip. The secular change due to the wear might reduce the reliability of the transportation of the cartridge.
This makes it impossible to position the cartridge at a prescribed recording/reproducing position so that the cartridge may be clamped in a slanted state. Thus, the clamping region which is centrally formed on the recording/reproducing medium is held displaced at a turn table located at the recording/reproducing position. Therefore, the recording/reproducing face of the recording/reproducing medium is brought into contact with the inner wall of the cartridge so that the recorded information may be damaged during recording/reproducing.
The present invention has been accomplished in order to obviate such an inconvenience.
An object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge transporting apparatus which can transport a cartridge to a prescribed recording/reproducing position surely and accurately.
In order to attain the above object, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge transporting apparatus in which a disk cartridge inserted from an insertion opening is loaded into a cartridge holder in an x-direction in a three-dimensional coordinate and the cartridge holder is transported to a reproducing position in a z-direction perpendicular to the x-direction, comprising: a driving roller for transporting the cartridge in its contact with a lower face of the cartridge into the cartridge holder in the x-direction, and a holder transporting mechanism for transporting the cartridge holder in the z-direction, wherein the driving roller continues to rotate also after the holder transporting mechanism starts to transport the cartridge holder toward the reproducing position.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge transporting apparatus for transporting a cartridge with an information recording medium housed therein to a recording/reproducing position, comprising: a cartridge holder in which the cartridge is loaded from an insertion opening in a x-direction in a three-dimensional coordinate; a driving roller for transporting the cartridge into the cartridge holder in contact with a lower surface of the cartridge; and a cartridge holder transporting mechanism for transporting the cartridge holder in a z-direction perpendicular to the x-direction; wherein the holder transporting mechanism has a rack member including a contact portion on the back side of the cartridge holder in the x-direction, the contact portion being movable in the x-direction in contact with the front end of the cartridge, and transports the cartridge holder downward in the z-direction when the contact portion is moved by a prescribed distance.
In accordance with the present invention, when a cartridge is carried into the side of the driving roller by a user, the driving roller rotates in contact with the cartridge to carry the cartridge into a cartridge holder. Further, since a holder transporting mechanism transports the cartridge holder in a direction perpendicular to the direction of inserting the cartridge, the cartridge can be loaded to a recording/reproducing position reliably and accurately.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.